


Cairo (a Tiva Reunion)

by tivaforever02 (Jevax2)



Category: NCIS, tiva - Fandom
Genre: F/M, NCIS - Freeform, TIVA - Freeform, Tiva fic, Tony DiNozzo - Freeform, Ziva David - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:01:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 20,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21841846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jevax2/pseuds/tivaforever02
Summary: Tony tracks Ziva to Cairo after she fakes her death and leaves Tali with him.  Post North Pole but incorporates the stuff I made up in my other Tiva fic The In Between
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 29
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

“Just water please,” Tony told the stewardess when she came around and offered drinks. After the first few non enjoyable flights with his daughter he learned that limiting sugar did help with ensuring she would go to sleep at least for a while. That and a few of her favorite movies on the portable DVD player/headphone combo he had picked up at the Tel Aviv airport were a god sent. He looked over at Tali as she slept in the seat beside him, keeping the water on hand for when she awoke. She still had the headphones on from the movie and her head leaned awkwardly against the standard white pillow they supplied. An adult would likely be uncomfortable in her position but his six months as a father taught him that kids her age could sleep anywhere and anyway. 

He reached over and closed the movie player but left the headphones on since trying to remove them would likely wake her. She was the spitting image of her mother he thought for the thousandths time. It both healed and it hurt him when he looked at her, especially when she was sleeping. Ziva has never looked as peaceful as Tali did, even in sleep her mind always running. As if she constantly braced for a nightmare from the reality of her life to interrupt her at any moment. 

He corrected himself, he did remember one night. One night when she had looked as peaceful in sleep as Tali did. When for hours he had watched her, first in the orchard then after he put her to bed. He was still in awe that at some point during the two days they had spent together after he found her the last time, that the love they had shared resulted in the perfect creation sleeping beside him. “The last time,” he said out loud with a light laugh. “Excuse me?” The passenger beside him said. “Nothing, Nothing,” Tony responded quickly realizing that he had spoken the words aloud. He was destined it seemed that he would spend his life finding Ziva. First Somali, then Israel, now he was hoping, Cairo. This time, same as the first, with him chasing a ghost.


	2. Chapter 2

He had spend the first two months after him and Tali left DC (and he left NCIS) in Israel looking for answers. He didn’t find any. He spent any available time that wasn’t taking care of his daughter trying to track any clue. Orli was a dead end. Despite his threats of bodily harm and other various things he had no way to carry through on since she was the Director of Mossad she stuck with the claim that Ziva was dead. She told Tony that he should take his daughter to Paris and start to build a life for themselves. 

Adam was no further help. Tony only was able to reach him twice and on the first occasion his indifferent response that he was sorry for his loss and that he hoped that Tali would not be too much of a burden to him had left Tony feeling resentful. Ziva keeping Tali from him was still a fresh wound and the reminder that for a large part of his life his outspoken belief that a wife and children might be a burden to him had likely contributed to why she had done it did not sit well. He wished he could go back, to know then what he knew now. That children were a blessing. That they made your heart stop with fear but also with joy. They were messy, they threw tantrums and could be completely unreasonable when they got tired but he had never before known the love that he felt for Tali. She was his everything. He would never leave her and he would kill anyone that tried to hurt her.

When he ran out of ideas and Orli stopped responding to his texts he decided it was finally time to try Adam again. “Tony” Adam responded picking up on the first ring. “Oh hey Adam,” Tony muttered quickly quite shocked to actually hear him since his last 14 or so calls had gone to voicemail. “She’s gone Tony. Stop calling,” “Yeah Yeah,” Tony said. “We both know that’s not true so you might as well just help me. I will find her with or without you, but Tali is the one that is missing out on her mother the longer this takes.” He heard a slight sigh on the other end and and then here was a long pause. “Look Tony, go to Paris. Ziva would have want that for daughter to grow up in the city she loved.” And with that the call ended.

The jealousy that Adam knew how much Ziva also loved Paris flickered for a second and Tony slammed down the phone on the table. The noise woke his daughter and he heard her cry out from the bedroom of the hotel. “Dammit” he cursed, frustrated with his lack of control. “Hey Tali it’s okay,” he said picking his daughter up in his arms and taking her to sit in the chair so he could rock her back to sleep. He knew she was getting too big for such things but since he had just gotten the opportunity to do them he figured he had a bit of grace. He had almost 2 and a half years to make up for.

It finally hit him just as she went back to sleep in his arms. Both Adam and Orli had told him to go to Paris. That was were he intended to go eventually but he thought that he would find the clues to where she was hiding in Israel. He knew in his heart she was not dead. She couldn’t be, it was not possible. So he took his daughter back to her bed, laid her down gently. He reset the blanket wall to ensure she didn’t fall off, kissed her gently on her forehead. “My princess” he murmured and went to plan his next steps. They would leave for Paris in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

When they got to Paris he booked them for an extended stay at the same hotel he and Ziva had stayed at the last they were there. The picture she had left in Tali’s bag that Orli brought to DC made him think that maybe he just needed to retrace their steps from that trip to find something, anything that would lead him to her. So every day he got his daughter up, dressed her, made what usually was a sad attempt to do something with her hair and then they followed the same path that he and Ziva had taken. They had breakfast in the same cafe. Took a taxi on the same path they had rode the scooter. Went in the museum they had visited.

Sr joined them for a few days here and there during the next four months. Tony still could not quite believe the change in his father that Tali’s presence had made. The vast majority of his life had been spent trying to get his fathers attention and he had always failed sadly. Now though when Gramps came to visit he was fully invested in making sure that he spent quality time not only with his grand daughter but Tony as well. He had a few concerns though when he realized that each day Tony and Tali were doing the same thing, much like the movie Groundhogs Day and he had mentioned on his last visit.

“Now I get that routine is good for a child,” he told Tony as they sat for breakfast, Tali on his knee coloring on the napkin with crayons Tony kept religiously in his satchel. “But can’t we try another breakfast place? We are in Paris,” he said extending his arms to showcase the city behind him. “It’s the best food in the world. Let’s change it up. Maybe even a different Museum. I feel like I am in that movie with Bill Murray were he keeps doing the same thing over and over. What’s that one called Jr?” 

“It’s called Groundhogs Day Dad...and we like it here and we like our routine. The waitresses are nice and the coffee is hot.” Tony informed him. He hadn’t told his father about his search. While he knew in his heart he would find her, a small part of him still did not want to get Sr’s hopes up until he had something more concrete to go on and he hadn’t found anything yet. 

Four months was a long time to keep up what he was doing but the fear that if he even missed one day he would never find her was creeping in. In hind-site he should have came to Paris first. What if he already missed her trail and something had gone wrong. He wasn’t quite panicking yet but he could tell the pressure was starting to get to him. Tali asked for her Ima less now than she did initially and while in some ways that made it easier it also made it harder. When he first got her almost every night when Tali woke she called out for her. He tried to comfort her, to make sure she knew that her Abba would always be there. He never told her that Ima would be back, that it was just a matter of time before she could see her again but he willed it with his thoughts. Picturing in his mind them all together and Ziva holding their daughter. Being a family. The picture was still there but each day it got a bit dimmer.

It was likely time to tell Sr what he was doing he decided, cleaning up her crayons as they finished breakfast. He would tell him the next time he came. Maybe he even had some contacts that would assist in his search. Tony paid the bill and was grabbing their stuff before they started on their daily trek when Tali’s sudden cry frozen him in place. “Abba” she yelled. It took a second for him to realize she was yelling in excitement, nothing was wrong. He took a deep breathe and waited for his heart to restart before he looked over to where she was pointing. “Princess” she told him and was pointing at a flyer on the side of the newsstand. “Me, princess too,” she said confidently while pointing to herself. 

“Ah ballet lessons,” Tony said, seeing the picture of the ballerina with the phone number of where to call for lessons cut out of the bottom. “You are a princess,” he told her as he scooped her up and went over for a closer look. “Ballet lessons sound like a great idea Tali,” your mother was a ballerina when she was young, he thought to himself as he pulled the paper free. His heart stopped again as the paper came free and revealed what was carved behind the flyer on the wall. 

A Z, scratched deep in the wood. Surrounded by a Triangle. Beneath it a TT scratched less deep but clearly visible. He knelt down, his heart pounding, his hands starting to shake. He rested on his knees for a second to regain his balance and hugged his daughter tight. It was right there in front of him. It was real. She had left a trail. Cairo he knew the triangle meant, she was by the pyramids, where she took her sister Tali to the opera house. He had found her.


	4. Chapter 4

“Yes!” Tony exclaimed, “we did it.” After several failed attempts to master a French braid in Tali’s hair he finally did it and it looked okay. Tali’s little hand reach up and she rubbed over the top of her head to try and feel what his success felt like like. “NO” he cautioned quickly pulling her hand down in fear of her excitement wrecking his creation. “Let’s look in the mirror” he said and carried her into the bathroom. “Can’t see Abba, can’t see” she whined trying to twist her head around to see his work in the glass. “Right” he set her on the counter and pulled out his phone, taking a picture of the back of her head. “See Tali, it even looks like a braid this time,” he said with a laugh. “Pretty, Abba,” she said running her fingers over the photo he showed her.

“Oh crap,” Tony cursed seeing the time on his phone. “Oh crap” Tali mimicked. He winced inwardly remembering for the 50th time that he has to be more careful about what he said now a days because his daughter was like a sponge who soaked up everything he said and did. “Oh shoot, I meant Tali, say Oh shoot”. She laughed, “Oh crap” she said again this time a little bit louder with a laugh seeming to know it was something that she shouldn’t be doing which of course made it funner. “Ah whatever” Tony said thinking this one was not actually that bad and they needed to leave. His perfecting of her hair had set them back half an hour and they had to get moving.

For the three weeks they had been in Cairo Tony had adapted a routine for them similar to their time in Paris. This time though he did not have a set path to follow so while he kept the Opera House as his central point he made slight variations each day. Their hotel was just off the El Tahrir and they spend their days in the museums or Al Horreye gardens. Tali's favorite was when they packed a picnic and had lunch in the gardens. Every night when there was a performance they went to the Operahouse for the 8pm show. They got there early and sat in different seats. Tali was typically played out from the day she she had become accustomed to falling asleep in his arms shortly after the curtain went up. Tony spent the hours scanning the crowd for any sight of Ziva.

The staff had noticed pretty quickly their two new seemingly permanent guests. A few of them questioned him as to why they came each night and he kept his response very dismissive. She has trouble sleeping he said and the opera puts her to sleep. The staff had some theories that they tossed around but it seemed true enough that every night as he left she was passed out in his arms. Tony knew they could not keep this up for very long, already he was getting questions and as desperate as he was to find Ziva he also knew that for her to leave Tali in the first place the situation must be mortally dangerous. He did not want to take any risks that could compromise her or their daughter's lives. 

So his mind was preoccupied as he left that night, Tali tucked in tight against him to shield her from the cool wind of the Nile. November was actually quite cold in Egypt he was learning. He quicken his pace back to their hotel thinking he would have to come up with a new plan, maybe he could find someone he trusted to take their place some nights, or he could get one of the staff to assist him. He never got a chance to finished the thought though. As he turned the corner sharply his breath was knocked out of him momentarily. He ran straight into someone taking the corner just as briskly as he was. Someone moving with purpose like they were already late. He reached one hand to the wall quickly to steady himself, the other gripping tighter around Tali to make sure she did not fall. Once she was secured he turned his head to apologize, to make sure whoever he hit was okay. 'I'm sorry ma'am, are you..." he started seeing it was a woman and then he stopped. His world stopped. The woman had stumbled briefly as well but regained her balance almost instantly. When she turned and looked up he was staring straight into Ziva's eyes. 


	5. Chapter 5

She left the carving in the wall of the news stand in a moment of insanity she decided later. If she had of been rationale she would have stuck to the plan and the plan was simple really. She was thought to be dead, so she would stay stay dead. She would stay underground and wait for Gibbs. Once he found her they would find who was trying to kill her and she would take them out. Only then could she return, return to Tali, to Tony . That was the order of the plan. To leave clues for Gibbs and Gibbs alone. If Tony found her first then the plan was compromised. So her moment of insanity had put them all at risk. 

That didn’t seem to matter though at the time. She had snuck back to Paris for just one night shortly after the explosion. Only Orli and Adam knew she had gone. Orli had even reminder her twice of the plan. Reminded her that the picture of her and Tony that Ziva had placed in Tali’s diaper bag was her first mistake. 

“You know he will look for you and he cannot find you, that is not in the plan” She said. “You only ever get one mistake and then you get dead.” 

“I will stick to the plan” Ziva assured her. She got what she needed out of her safe house and then set it a blaze. Orli, through her contacts, made sure the fire was kept low key and had minimal investigation. Ziva didn’t even intend to pass by the cafe where her and Tony had breakfast on their visit. When she did she could not help but sit down. Once she sat down it only seem polite to order some coffee when the waitress came by.

The instant the waitress left the memories flooded back so quickly she lost her breathe for a moment. At first she thought it was another panic attack, like what she felt in the market when she gave Tali to Adam. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. Waited to die. A few deep breathes later though it seemed to pass and she was okay. She calmed down. 

Deciding to let the memory play in her mind was her second mistake. Her and Tony had sat a few tables over she remembered. It was the morning after they had spend their real first night in each other’s arms. Sure, they had had sex before but Paris was different. Paris was the first time she almost considered it making love. It was soft and slow, Tony taking her to a place she had never been. Her knowing she could never live without him. Didn’t want to live without him. Then when they finally relented she had slept on his chest, his hand slowly stroking her back as she dozed. She looked comfy, he had said. He was right. 

“Latte” the waitress said shaking her out of her memories.

“Yes thank.. merci.” She finished remembering where she was, taking the coffee and reaching to add some sugar.

“Autre chose?”

“No, No” Ziva told her

The waitress left and Ziva sat for a few moments, sipped her latte. She watched the people pass by. She knew then he would be here. That he would bring Tali. The photo was a mistake. Her eyes lingered on the newsstand. On the side with the posters. He would never find it she thought. It would just be for her. So she would feel closer to them when they were here. The plan was for Gibbs to find her in Cairo. The clues she left him pointed there. She drained the last of her coffee, threw down payment, with a very nice tip, and reached for the knife in her boot.


	6. Chapter 6

She would fix it today she told herself. She would tell Adam or Odette what she had done. Call them right now. They would have someone take care of the marking she had left in Paris, scrap it away. But everyday kept turning into tomorrow and every tomorrow she did nothing. 

She stayed in the gutters of Cairo for months as she waited for Gibbs. He did not come. At first she thought something was wrong, maybe he was sick, had been injured. She finally contacted Adam.

“Gibbs” she texted from her burn phone, “he okay?”

“I don’t think he’s coming” was the response. “Need to alter plan.”

Ziva sat down on the concrete as she read the text. She fingered her necklace, thought again of her daughter. She was dirty and likely starting to smell. She had been away from Tali for six months now and she was tired. During the day she stayed hidden in Nasr City, her “safe house” was not safe or a house but an abandoned condo building that was never finished. Odette had provided a contact, a local widow that occasionally let her shower and take a nap on a bed. She kept it to a minimum though to avoid putting Nanu in danger. It had been three days since she had been there. When she did venture out it was only at night and she avoided any touristy areas.

The pills Adam gave her seemed to be rapidly depleting. Initially she refused to take them. Finally when the panic overtook her more frequently she accepted that she needed the help. A weapon Adam had called them, to fight this new threat. Now it seemed almost weekly she took one, to calm her so she could sleep. Sleep had become her biggest fear. Awake she could occupy her mind push away thoughts, memories of Tali. She could clean and recleaned her weapons, draw maps of the city, of any city from memory. She could for the most part stay in control. 

In sleep her mind could run wild. One night Tali would be safe wrapped in her arms. Ziva, with Tony beside her, was rocking her to sleep as the sun goes down at her farmhouse in Israel. The next night she would be racing with her daughter through the streets of DC. Desperate to escape an unknown assassin. Tony would find them, but not to help. He would take take Tali from her. Those nights were the worst. When Tony would reminder what she had done. That she made him leave, then kept Tali a secret from him. He would say that she left him in the dark that he no longer loved her. So she took the pills and pushed it away.

“I will come see you soon” his next text came in. “Stay where you are.” 

She saw the words but they didn’t really process, her mind was already set. Until today she had avoided the Opera house, deliberately stayed away. If Tony did come that is where he would go. It was where she took her sister Tali when she was young. He knew that. Ziva couldn’t bring herself to remove the clue she had left him in Paris but she she could avoid where he would find her. After Adam’s first text she couldn’t take anymore. If Gibbs wasn’t coming what would she do? She had to find out who was trying to kill her without bringing any danger to Tali.

Without really thinking she got on the bus. It was a long ride but she knew where to go. She had memorized the bus schedule months ago, every single route. She missed her first connection, the bus stopping when a fight broke out in the back. Ziva debated stepping in, knocking out both men so they could get on their way but she knew that she couldn’t draw attention to herself. She looked at her watch. 8pm was when the performance started and she was already late.

10pm her watch said when she finally got off the bus. The opera house was still a few blocks away. Ziva knew she had missed the performance but that didn’t even seem to matter anymore. As long as she could see it at least she would feel better. She would have hope. So she picked up her pace almost starting to run. She kept her head down despite it being covered with a scarf. She took the corner sharply, close to the wall. Her breath knocked out at the contact, she was knocked back. She braced quickly avoiding a fall. She heard his voice first “I’m sorry ma’am, are you...” then he stopped. Her world stopped. As she looked up she was staring straight into Tony’s eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Tony’s eyes widened with shock while at the same instant Ziva’s eyes closed. He heard a sob escaped from her chest. It couldn’t be real she thought. He couldn’t be here. Her knees buckled and she had to grab for the wall. “Ziva” she heard him whisper. He stared for a moment taking her in. It couldn’t be real he thought, she couldn’t be here. Her head was partially covered and her dirt smudged her face. The eyes that had just stared up at him a second before he saw were now closed. She had scrunched them up tight. He reached out with his free hand to steady her when she lost her balance at the same time pulling Tali in tighter with his other arm. He felt his daughter stir slightly but she did not wake up.

“Ziva” he said louder, with more certainty this time as he pulled her into him. Then he instinctively turned and pressed her body back to the wall so she could not escape. She felt his arm grab hers while his chest push her backwards.

“Ummph” she uttered as her back made contact with the wall, harder than he had intended. Her eyes blinked back open. For a second he saw panic and fear in them. No this isn’t right she thought. He cannot find me yet. Then the fact that Tony HAD found her started to sink in. Tony was here, right in front of her. The fear and panic gave way to pure and utter joy. HE HAD FOUND HER. He watched the transformation in her eyes. 

“Tony” she stammered once, then again. “Tony, you are here. You found it” She continued her voice still layered with disbelief. She pulled her arms free and brought both hands up so she could lay them lightly on his cheeks. So she could feel that it was really him. “You found it,” she repeated. “And you came.” As she said the last word a smile broke out on her face, tears started forming in her eye. She almost started to laugh. “You came.” She tightened her hands on his cheeks and pulled his mouth down so she could kissed it. 

“Yes I came.” He said slightly bewildered returning her kiss with eager. He was still not quite believing that Ziva was here, that HE HAD FOUND HER. He could touch her, he could taste her. She was not dead. “Of course I came.” why she would even think that he wouldn’t come crossed his mind briefly but he let it go. For now all that mattered was that she was alive. And that she was kissing him and he was kissing her. 


	8. Chapter 8

When the shock of seeing him started to wear off another thought took over her mind. She pulled back from his kiss and froze with fear. “Tali” she cried out her eyes looking wild. “Where is Tali”

“What” he responded not sure he was hearing her right. He pulled back slightly shaking his head “Ziva” He said as if the answer was clear.

“Tony WHERE is she?”

“Ziva” he said softer this time suddenly understanding her issue. Tali’s jacket was the same color as his and he had a blanket covering her head from the wind. With the poor light from the street and her somewhat hysterical state Ziva could not tell she was there. “She’s right here.” He drew her eyes to his shoulder so she could see. He took off the blanket and he watched the relief flow over Ziva’s face. With his body still pressed against hers he felt her muscles relax, saw the tears spill down her cheeks. 

“Tali” she whispered. One hand moved slowly down from Tony’s cheek. She rested it on her daughters head and closed her eyes. “My Tali”. 

“She’s fine Ziva. She’s just asleep,” he reassured her. “Although not for long if we don’t get out of this wind.” He noted Daddy Tony taking over. “She needs to get to bed. We have to go back to the hotel.” He said grabbing her hand to lead the way.

“No” she said regaining her senses. She tried pulling back her hand without any luck. “I can’t go to the hotel. I can’t. I have to go back. You aren’t suppose to be here”.

She used her other hand to try and free hers from his. He just gripped tighter and pulled her along. 

“Yes you are Ziva. Don’t fight me on this.”

“Tony it’s not safe. You don’t understand.”

“Understand” he echoed the frustration spilling over. “Understand. No I don’t understand. I don’t understand why I am trying to drag the not dead mother of the child I didn’t know that I had through the streets of Cairo at 10pm on a Wednesday night after watching an opera I have seen 10 straight times and still have no fucking clue what is going on. That I do NOT understand. What I DO understand Ziva is that you are coming with me. You are coming with me NOW. And with God as my witness Ziva you are NEVER EVER going to die on me again. That I understand. Do YOU understand.”

She saw the determination in his face, heard the steel in his voice and stopped struggling. She knew in that instant this was one fight she could not win. And one fight that she she knew in her heart she didn’t want to. 

“Yes Tony,” was all she said. “Yes I understand“ and relented as he led her away.


	9. Chapter 9

While she agreed to come back with him she had to make him follow her plan. She realized to her enormous relief that she had scoped out the hotel he had picked before. It had been a few years back for a mission but she knew where all the security camera were located and the blind spots. She just had to hoped not too much had changed. 

“You go in the front I will meet you in the room in ten, fifteen minutes tops. What room?” she asked. “No, we go in together.” He said defiantly, his hand still clamped tightly onto hers. She glanced over at Tali asleep on his shoulder. Over the two blocks they had walked back she could not stop staring at her daughter. She could still could not believe that Tali was here. She had watched in wonder as Tony carried her so effortless and with such ease. It seemed that even in the short time he had spent with her she had become a part of him. For a few seconds she felt a stab of jealous of what she had missed these past six months, but she shoved it away knowing it was not she that should be jealous. Because of her Tony had missed much more.

“Tony”. She said, her voice almost breaking as she continued to stare at Tali. He saw the pain in her eyes as she lifted them to meet his. “I will meet you in the room. I promise. I swear to you I promise.” She put her hand over her heart.

He held her eyes for a moment trying to assess her intent, decide if he should trust her at her word after she had already tried to run. The way she had look at Tali though convinced him, the longing look in her eyes at seeing her daughter.

"Fine. 507 it's three rooms off the elevator on the right." He turned to head in the front.

Before he got far though Ziva that reached for his arm to stop him. "Tony, I don't want her to see me tonight. Not like this." she said realizing how ragged her appearance was. Her hair was wild, dirt still smudged on her face. She avoided his eyes looking down at the ground. "Ziva she's not going to care" he used his free hand to lift up her chin so her eyes would meet his again. "First off she's three and second considering that up until 15 minutes ago we both were suppose to think you had been burned in a fire I would say you look pretty good." he reassured her leaning in to lightly place another kiss on her lips. She smiled lightly at the untrue compliment."

"Tony, please just not tonight, let me reset my bearings. Tomorrow." she begged. He breathed in and out deeply then shook his head yes. "I have to wake her up to put on her pjs and then we read a story or two. Typically she falls right back asleep. Head straight for the bathroom when you come in, I will leave the door unlatched." She nodded back in agreement and headed for the back of the hotel. As she did the image of Tony Dinozzo reading bedtime stories to her daughter popped into her head and she could not stop the smile that took over her face or the warm fuzzy feeling that flowed through her veins. 

When she got upstairs the door was unlatched as expected. She quickly went in resetting the lock and the chain. If she had been followed she thought the chain would not do much good but she had been very careful so far. She was sure she avoided all the cameras on the way up. This was her first time downtown since she arrived and her trip today was totally unplanned so nobody should suspect she was here she assured herself. She knew this was a risk and that she should have left when Tony gave her the chance but even a few moments with Tony and Tali was now too much for her to resist.

As she headed to the bathroom she saw that Tony had turned the chair away from the door and had Tali on his knee. "And I would eat them in a house and I would eat them with a mouse..." she heard him recite as she slid into the bathroom. Dr. Seuss she thought. Green eggs and ham. Tony had left her a pair of his pajama pants and a t shirt both too big but they would do. She turned on the shower feeling hot water for the first time in a while. Hot water was a luxury for Nanu so Ziva had kept her usage to the bear minimum. She stayed in for a full 20 minutes almost burning her skin before she got out. 

When she came back into the room she saw that Tali asleep on the pull out. She walked past Tony so she could stand over her. She slowly brought her hand down to feel her head. Lightly rub her hair from her face.

"I'm going to shower," he told her as she watched Tali sleep. She did not acknowledge his words so he turned and went into the bathroom.

When he got out the lights were still on but she was asleep. She had curled up beside her daughter on the small pull out bed. Her arm wrapped around Tali's small frame. Well that won't last long, he thought to himself with a smile. He knew Tali was a like hot water bottle when she slept. He glanced over at the big bed still perfectly made and without a second though grabbed the blanket laying at its foot. He laid it over Ziva, turned off the lights and cuddled in beside her.


	10. Chapter 10

“Ima” Tali said getting up on her knees in the bed and leaning over her mother’s face trying to wake her. When she got no response she tried again louder “Ima” she practically yelled while pushing her small hands into Ziva’s chest. That did the trick as Ziva woke up slower than usual having slept deeply for the first time in months. It took a moment for her to register where she was and to realize that Tali’s words were real, not a dream. Her daughter was actually right in front of her face. Once it sunk it she jumped up quickly and sat up on the bed. She pulled Tali firmly into her arms.

“Tali” she murmured hugging her close, Tali’s short little arms wrapped around her neck. “Abba, Ima here, Ima here Abba” Tali hollered at Tony. No words had ever been sweeter Ziva decided. “Oh my sweet Tali. I’m here, I’m right here.” For how long was not something that Ziva let herself think about. She just let herself enjoy the happiness of being able to wake up and hug her daughter. Tony woke beside them his back slightly sore from the tight quarters they had occupied through the night. He stretched and opened his eyes just in time to see Tali hugging tight to Ziva. He saw joy in Tali’s face and his eyes filled with tears. He pulled the pillow over his face quickly to wipe them away. 

“Ladies” he responded, pretending the pillow was there to keep out their noise. “It’s barely dawn can you keep it down. I’m trying to sleep here.” He said acting as though this was not the first time in Tali’s life that she had been with both her mother and father at the same time. He really had no idea how he was suppose to act or react in a situation like this. But he figure keeping as calm as possible was best for Tali so he pretend that this was just an entirely normal day in their life. That they had waken up together a thousand times before. He knew there was a LOT to discuss, between Ziva and him, for now though he decided to just let this play out as it did. To sit back enjoy his morning with the two people he loved more than life itself. The rest he would deal with as it came.

Ziva sensed what he was doing and went along with it. She pulled the pillow from his face and actually laughed. Oh god it felt good to laugh. “Abba’s trying to sleep?” She said to Tali her eyes going wide in disbelief. “Trying to sleep?” She said again. “I think it’s time for Abba to wake up Tali, don’t you?” She grabbed the pillow from his hand and hit him with it lightly in the face. “Wake up sleepyhead”. Tali laughed along with her. “Wake up Sweepyhead” she repeated trying to mimic her mother. “Wake up” Tali poked him in the chest, once then again while Ziva continued to lightly hit him with the the pillow.

“Uugggg” he groaned like needing to wake up was a fate with than death. He kept his eyes closed. “So tired,” he lifted his arms to protect his face from Ziva’s hits.

“You TWO took up the WHOLE bed.” He reached up his arm to point at them with two finger and popped open his eyes. “You two also stole ALL the blankets,” he continued his eyes narrowing at them with the accusation. He grabbed for Tali taking her from Ziva and flipped her softly back on the bed. “What do I do with a room stealer and a blanket thief?” He asked her putting his finger to his lips as if he had a great decision to make while Tali giggled aloud. “What to do? I know!” And with that he leaned down and lifted up her top. Exposing her stomach so he could blow zerberts on her belly. She giggled louder and Ziva couldn’t stop laughing. 

He gave Tali one more zerbert than turned his attention to Ziva. “And you,” He said meeting her eyes which were filled with laughter while he tried to keep his stern. “What should I do with you?” She laughed again, the smile taking over her face. He looked so good she thought. His face so handsome, his eyes so bright despite the fake frown he was trying to pull off for Tali’s sake. She loved him so much. Tali’s laughter drowned out behind the roar that started in her head. He saw the change in her eyes. Without looking he pulled Tali’s shirt back down still holding her in the bed. His face softened as he leaned into her kissing her mouth as his heart pounded in his chest. I’m dreaming he thought, this can’t be real. She looped her arms around him deepening the kiss. He felt her tongue skim his lightly and then they were both smacked in the face. “Abba Abba” Tali yelled as she reached up to get their attention.””Again, again.” 


	11. Chapter 11

He ordered room service and they had a picnic on the bed. Tali sat on her mother’s lap sharing her eggs while Tony spread jam on her toast. After she rejected his first attempt he cut off the crusts like she wanted. “Seriously Tony you cut off the crusts?” Ziva said with a smile. “Spoil her much?” 

“Anything my princess wants. Right Tali,” He said while handing the plate to her. “Besides my mother used to cut off mine. Tastes better that way.” He finished his bacon and set his plate aside. He waited for them to finish and then he reached for the remote. He had hooked her portable DVD player up to the tv so she could watch her favorite shows. He turned on Bugs Bunny. Ziva turned to lean her back on the headboard so Tali could watch the tv while she still held her in her arms. Tali snuggled into her mother like she used to and instinctively reached for Ziva’s necklace to rub in between her fingers. Tony sat down beside her and Ziva leaned her head on his shoulder watching the show. His hand closed over hers linking their fingers. For the first time since she was a little girl, despite being in a random hotel room in Cairo, she felt like she was home.

“Me too Ima.” Tali said turning from the tv and reaching for her neck. “What?” Ziva asked her then looking over at Tony. He reached to the bedside table and handed Tali her necklace. The Star of David that Ziva used to wear. Tali took it from him and showed her. “Mine” she said indicating that Tony should put it in her. Ziva’s eyes misted over as she watched him put it around her daughters neck. He had had the chain shortened so it fit properly. Ziva flashed back to the last time she had seen it. On the tarmac the day he had left Israel, when she had slipped it on his jacket pocket as he kissed her goodbye. She was never sure if she would see it again.

“Very pretty Tali. That used to be mine” Ziva told her. Tali smiled and nodded like she already knew then turned back to keep watching her show.

“You kept it?”

“Of course.” He paused. He did not want to upset the mood just yet but knew he needed to start getting some answers. He decided to leave the big questions alone though for now and start a little simpler.

“In the street last night you said you were surprised I would came. Why would you leave a clue if you thought I wouldn’t come? What is going on Ziva? Why are you dead?” Okay so maybe he wouldn’t start too simple he thought as more questions then he intended had just rolled out of his mouth.

He felt her tense beside him. She linked her hand back with his, took a deep breath in, then out and tried to relax. She had known that the easiness of the morning could not last. She owed him a lot of explanations and she wasn’t even quite sure where to start. She knew she should start with why he only found about about Tali recently, when she was almost two and a half. Why she made him leave Israel in the first place but she wasn’t ready to go there yet. And it seemed neither was he so she started with the explosion. 

“You weren’t suppose to come Tony, not yet. You finding me now isn’t part of the plan.” She stopped for a minute. “Orli said she convinced NCIS that Trent Kort was behind the explosion at the farmhouse. He was and he wasn’t. Yes he had hired the person who carried it out but it happened so fast because it was already in motion. Someone wanted me dead. I haven’t figured much out yet because I was waiting for Gibbs. He was the one who was suppose to find me not you.”

“But I was weak. I couldn’t seem to help myself when I left the marker in Paris. Or put the picture of Paris in Tali’s bag. I wasn’t suppose to do that either. The plan is very specific and I was NOT suppose to leave a trace for you. You had to think I was dead so you could keep Tali safe and I could find out who wanted me dead.” She turned to face him as she continued. This part the hardest. “I knew that what was between us before you left Israel was strong enough that you would look. For a while at least. But how much damage I did to that well..”she cut off searching his eyes for clues to an answer she was afraid to get. So she avoided it and moved past it. “I told myself that I left the carving for me. I knew you would take Tali to Paris. Told myself that when you did I would know that a part of me at least was there with you.”

“But that was a lie. In my heart I wanted you to find it. To know I was in Cairo...And you did find it and you came. And now, oh god. OH GOD.” She turned away from him then closing her eyes. The reality of her actions fully sinking it. Panic taking over her face. “I have put both of you in danger.”


	12. Chapter 12

Tony had seen people suffer panic attacks at crime scenes quite a few times. The shock of a dead body or losing a loved one invoked all sorts of reactions. As a team they had been trained with the basics of how to respond. To get the person to stop, to breath and then think. But initially that training flew right out the window when he saw Ziva experience one. At first he didn’t realize what was happening. She had been fine (well as fine as expected given the whole fucked upness of their current situation) telling him about why she had had to fake her death and then when she said she shouldn’t have done what she did. That she was putting both him and Tali in danger when he thought she had started to choke. 

She leaned forward quickly her daughter falling out of her arms. Without thinking he grabbed Tali and pulled her off to the side. Ziva hands flew to her throat like she couldn’t get any air. Her eyes closed for a second and then they shot open laced with fear. She didn’t look at him but stared straight ahead. “Ziva?” he said loudly, Tali started to cry not quite sure what was happening. “ZIVA WHAT THE HELL”. He hit her not too softly on the back wondering what on earth she could have had in her mouth.

She closed her eyes and tried to breathe deeply but her lungs would not respond. Short breathes in and out was would all they allowed her. Tony heard her short gasps and realized that she was getting air, she wasn’t not choking. What the hell is going on he asked himself again. Then he clued in. She panicking. 

His mind flashed to a woman who had done almost exactly the same thing when she had walked into her house just after they had arrived on the scene a year or so ago. They hadn't thought to lock the door (Gibbs reamed them out shortly after) and she saw her Marine husband who had blown his brains out on the couch before they had so much as wiped up his brains from the wall behind him. 

Stop, breathe, think he remembered. He had to get her to stop trying so hard to breathe. He stopped hitting her back and started to rub. He lowered his voice. “Hey hey it’s okay your okay.” He used his other hand to pull Tali into his chest and he rocked her at the same time. “Ziva baby it’s okay your okay,” he repeated. “I’m right here. Tali’s right here. We are fine.” He said it over and over for a few minutes. He could slowly feel her breathes get a bit longer. 

“I’m right here. Tali’s right here. We are fine.” She had no idea how many time he said it before she finally heard. His words felt distant as if he was miles away rather than right beside her. Slowly she took longer breathes. Her lungs finally seeming to listen to her rather than having a mind of their own. “I’m right here. Tali’s right here.” We are fine.” It’s okay, Tony’s here. Tali’s here she thought. Repeated them over and over as well. It’s okay Tony’s here. Tali’s here. They are fine. 

She took one long deep breathe then opened her eyes. She saw Tony’s face his eyes as panicked as she just had felt. He stopped his mantra as her eyes met his. Tali was cradled in his arm still, she stared up at her mother. Her tears still wet in her face. “Ima” she said questioningly reaching her hand up to touch Ziva’s face. 

“My pants” she whispered, her voice so hoarse though Tony couldn’t make out the words. “My pants,” she said again this time more clear. “Get my pants.” He nodded in agreement pushing Tali into her arms and jumped off the bed going into the bathroom to retrieve them. 

“The pills in the pockets” she instructed when he returned. He checked the top ones first finding her glock and a knife. He checked the gun for the safety and then dumped them unceremoniously onto the ground when he knew it was on. “Side pockets” she said as she rocked Tali to her. “Oh baby. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” she told her daughter while planting a kiss on her head.

Tony found the pills in the pocket. “How many?” He asked questioningly as he looked around for a bottle of water. He found one by the tv, grabbing it and them coming back to the bed. “One, just one is good.” She waited for him to pick up her weapons and put them safely away. She then handed her back to him and took the water and pill that he set in the bedside table. She popped it in her mouth and took a long sip of water. She closed her eyes again and leaned back in the bed. 

Tony sat Tali down on the floor at the end of the bed. “Watch Bugs,” he told her. She reached back up for him though so he gave up and brought her with him back to the bed. He sat back down with Tali in his arms just like Ziva had been a few minutes before. 

He talked to his daughter for a few minutes until he turned her attention back to the show. Once he had he took a few deep breathes himself. If he had ever been more scared in his life he could not recall it. When he regained his composure her turned to her waiting until she met his gaze. 

“Ziva?”


	13. Chapter 13

“That happens sometimes now. Since I had to leave her,” was all she said about the attack. She was hoping he could understand and leave it at that. She held his eyes and he knew that was all he was going to get right now on it without upsetting her further. He did need to figure what was going on, and he also knew he needed to keep her talking so decided to go back to what she had been saying just before it happened. 

“Okay...so if I wasn’t suppose to find you yet and Tali and I are in danger because you did...”.he paused trying to piece what small amount of information he had together. “Why did Adam and Orli tell me to come to Paris? That was were you hid the clue? They had to know I would find you.”

This information was new and it surprised her. Something didn’t make sense. Adam and Orli should have directed him as far away from Paris as possible if they were sticking to the plan, not towards it. She needed to think...and to contact Adam. She also needed to make sure that Tony and Tali were safe. “I don’t know.” She agreed with him. “This does not make sense. For now, we cannot let anyone suspect I am here. That anything is different for you and Tali. You said last night you had seen the opera 10 straight times? What did that mean?” 

“We go to every show since we got here,” he told her. “Each night at 8 when it is on at least, they don’t play every night. Un Ballo In Maschera is playing right now. Tali typically goes to sleep soon after it starts and I would look for you.” He said it so casually, yet so definitely that she could not help the flutters that came into her stomach. He truly did love her she thought. Her face started to soften and her hand went to reach for his face before she caught herself and pulled her hand back.

Seriously Ziva, now is not the time she thought to herself. Stay focused. “What else? What else do you do? During the day.”

“Oh that varies, the opera house was all I really had to go on so we stay near there. We have gone to the Museums. The Gardens is Tali’s favorite. She likes to try and feed the birds.”

“Okay you need to go then. Do whatever you would have done if I was not here. Pretend that nothing has changed.”

“No” he said pointblank.

“Yes”

“No”

“Please Tony, just trust me just for today. I will try and get some answers while you are gone. When do you come back here? To the hotel.”

He debated saying no again and sticking to his guns but the panic he had seen in her face, when she said she had put them in danger, seeing what it had done to her physically with the attack made him reconsider. She must truly be afraid for them.

“Okay, Okay we will go.” He put his hands up as if in surrender. “We usually aim to get back around 3 when Tali has a nap. We leave...” he looked to the clock. “Around now, so we should get going. Tali, we need to get you dressed.” He picked her up off the bed and turned off the cartoons. Ziva watched in partial amazement as he quickly got her dressed and then sat her in the chair to comb her hair and put it back in a ponytail. He met her eyes over Tali’s head and he smiled seeing the disbelief all over her face.

“Not to brag but I will have to show you the mean braid I can do when we have more time,” he said with a wink. She brought her hand to mouth to stop the laugh that burst out at his remark. Very special agent Anthony Dinozzo braiding a little girls hair she thought. She sobered though when she remembered that he was no longer an agent and that he gave it up so he could protect their daughter who she hadn’t even been strong enough to tell him about. 

He saw her eyes start to go dark and threw the comb at her lightly to keep the mood light. She caught it in her hands. “You can practice while we are out so I don’t make you look bad Ima. The dolls are over there.” He said motion his head to the other side of the room where 3 dolls were lined up along the wall. She shook her lead and laughed again. 

He then packed up their stuff for the day. “Ima?” Tali asked when he put her coat on and it was time to leave. Ziva picker her up bringing her face level with hers. “You go with Abba now. I will be here when you get back,” she promised handing her back to Tony. “Ima” she said again starting to cry. She had just gotten her mother back and didn’t want to leave her again.

“Tali, it’s fine she will be her when we get back. We will go see the ducks okay. We can get the bread and you can try to feed them alright.” She looked up at him her eyes wide, still filled with tears. She was not quite yet convinced but the though of feeding the ducks she love so much stopped more tears from coming at least. He put her back on the ground, pulled his satchel over his shoulder, took Tali’s hand. He then turned back to Ziva

“Promise me you will be here when we get back.” He stared at her face while he said it, trying to memorize every detail in case she wasn’t. She was so beautiful he thought. He had never seen anyone so beautiful. 

“I will be here Tony. It would be safer if I left...but I won’t.” 

He leaned in and kissed her. Harder than he intended he realized when she jolted slightly as his teeth grazed her lips, but softer than he wanted to. She was surprised initially at the urgency in his kiss but she met it evenly for a few moments. His lips on hers felt so good, then she reached up and pushed him, with Tali in tow, towards to door. “You need to go.” 

She watched them leave then once again locked the door and reset the chain. She needed her phone so she could get a hold of Adam and find out what the fuck was going on.

She found it in the side pockets of her cargo pants. She sat on the bed and immediately texted Adam. 

“He found me.” She was surprised when his response was instant.

“I know”

“How? Why did you and Orli tell him Paris?”

“Whether he found you or you found him it was just a matter of time Ziva regardless of the plan.” A few moments went by. “We had prepared.”

“Take two days”

“I got you”

“Move to room 2013 it’s safer door will be unlocked”

“You can go outside but stay close don’t go past the gardens”

Her mind raced as she watched the texts come in not sure that she could trust them but feeling hope rise in her heart. Two days he said. Two days she could spend with her family.

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me I will keep you and your family safe” 

“On my life”

“Ok”

“Then Ziva that’s it”

“This cannot happen again until this is truly over you need to leave by midnight Friday”

“Understood?”

“Understood”

“Don’t contact me again until you’ve left”

She laid down on the bed hugging the pillow to her chest. Tears ran down her cheeks. She had two days.


	14. Chapter 14

She was curled up fast asleep on the bed when he found her later. He and Tali had arrived back at the door to the room when he started preparing himself for her to be gone. He unlocked the door with his key then smacked up against it as he tried to push it open. The chain she had reset was still intact. He debated calling out for her but since she had been his partner for 8 or so years he had learned a few tricks. It took him approximately 3.5 seconds to remove it and get inside. 

Tali ran to the bathroom as soon as they got in. “Just a second Princess I will be right there.” She was pretty much potty trained now but she still need some help now and again to keep laundry to a minimum. 

“Thank God,” he whispered to himself when he saw her on the bed. His heard pounded in relief. He noted that it looked like she had been a sleep for a while. Her arms were still clutched tight around the pillow. She hadn’t changed out of the t shirt and pajama pants that he had given her the night before. Her face half covered by her hair. He leaned over her exactly as she had done to Tali the previous evening and brushed it away from her eyes. 

He had promised himself that once he found her they would keep sex off the table until they had resolved somethings and he got some answers but as he stared down at her, touched her face with his hand he could feel his control waning. His body was reminding him of every minute that it had been away from her for the last three and a half years. Especially after the kiss he had given her before he left earlier. 

That had been a mistake, he thought. They had yet to really talk, although given they had a very active three year old that hadn’t left their side during the 20 hours since he had found her that wasn’t entirely unexpected he reasoned. She had started to open up and talk when the panic attack came on so he should probably cut her a little slack. The last few years likely had not been easier on her either. The contact had been so little he honestly had no idea.

He though of the pills he had retrieved for her to take and wondered how it happened for her to start taking them. When she left Tali she said it had started. The Ziva he knew was not prone to medicating unless entirely necessary.

“Abba?” He heard Tali call out. He took a step back towards the bathroom and kept his voice low so as not to wake Ziva yet. “Go ahead princess. I’ll be right there,” he told Tali knowing he may have to do an extra load of laundry as a result but didn’t care. He could not take his eyes or his hand off of Ziva. He bent his knees as he leaned down to bring his face level with hers. He listened to her breathe in and out a few times. Then he did what he knew he should not do if he was going to stick to his promise. He kissed her awake. 

As soon as he touched his lips to hers on the bed the memories came back. Their time Israel the strongest one by far. They had spent half of the two days he had been there in a bed just like the one in front of him. It had been bittersweet because he knew the whole time she wouldn’t come back with him or but she did let him love her (and she in return) like he had never done to anyone. He learned every inch of her in that bed, every touch, every taste. 

She woke slowly and then her lips started to move in unison with his. A light sigh eased from her throat and he knew his promise was out the window. He pulled back from her slightly to regain his composure. Tali was right around the corner he remembered. 

“Hi” he whispered. She opened her eyes and lifted up her hand to run it though her hair. “Hi,” she said back. “I must have fallen asleep,” she smiled at him feeling slightly disorientated not only from what had turned out to be a four hour nap she hadn’t planned on taking but also from the gentle kiss that had woken her up. She had felt it down to her toes. Her body which she learned to ignore in the years they had been apart suddenly came back to life. 

She had promised herself that she would tell him everything before they got intimate again, if, she reminded herself. If he wanted to have sex with her again after she finally explained everything. But as he smiled a gooey smile at her in return she realized the chances of her sticking to that promise were fading fast. 


	15. Chapter 15

“And when exactly did ADAM find out you were still alive?” Tony asked her rather harshly, while still trying to keep his voice down. They had finally gotten Tali down for a nap in the bedroom and he did not want to wake her. Shortly after he woken Ziva up earlier she had told him there was a new plan. She told him most of it. They needed to move rooms and they could expand outside but not past the gardens. The fact that her time with them had to expire at midnight the next day she kept to herself. 

He did not question her too much at first. She was in a rush for them to move up to the new room and any plan that kept her with them he was willing to at least consider. He would press her for more details once they got there he decided. She changed back into the clothes she came in, helped him pack up his and Tali’s stuff and then wiped the room for her prints. When she was done she told him “Okay room 2013. You and Tali go up the elevator and I will meet you there.” 

Once they left she waited five minutes then covered her head with the scarf before leaving. Adam had told her she would be safe but she still took all precautions to follow them upstairs. It had went without saying when he had texted that over the next few days they could go outside that she would still need to do it in disguise. She could not be totally free as if she wasn’t still legally dead just in case.

She was delayed for longer than she wanted to be on the way up. A couple of the maids had stopped in the stairs for a break and to exchange some gossip. Finally when she slipped into the room she saw it was not just a standard room. A suite was what it was. There were two bedrooms she noted and a partial kitchen. A living area was off to the side with a couple couches, a chair and a large tv. Tony had turned it on for Tali, the cartoons subtitled back to English, and had sat down on the chair while his daughter laid on the floor watching. 

“You made it...fancy place we have here,” he said hoping she could not hear the slight tremble in his voice. Her delay had likely cost him a few years off his life as he started to think she wasn’t coming. That combined with him starting to suspect who was helping her when from she had said “he secured another room” earlier was putting him in a much less friendly mood. She could tell his tone had changed as soon as he spoke. The look he gave her now was more pointed and she could see hints of anger in his eyes. 

Well this was more what she had expected she thought. Maybe she would keep her promise after all. “A nap now? You said she would take a nap when you returned.” As she said the words the fact that tony now set her daughters schedule not her, resulted in a pain in her chest and a lump in her throat. Stop this, she told herself. She had no right to be hurting over the things she had denied him for years. If anyone should be hurt it should be him.

“Yes” was all he said. He went to get some books from his bag. He picked up his daughter and started to head towards the bedroom. He stopped halfway there thinking about what was best for Tali and turned back to Ziva. He held out the books to her. “Would you like the honor?” She was taken aback for a second at his offer but she eagerly accepted the books and Tali as he passed them over to her as she joined him in the room. 

It took just three stories and some light rocking before Tali’s head passed out on Ziva’s shoulder. She gave her a kiss in the forehead and laid her in the bed while Tony paced by the door. He followed her out then pulled the door almost closed leaving a slight gap so they could hear when she woke up.

“It’s Adam isn’t it. The he you mentioned earlier who secured this room. He’s helping you with all this.” He demanded pulling her over to the other side of the suite not unlightly by her arm.

“Yes,” she responded feeling his fingers dig into her arm at the admission. “Him and Orli. And a friend Odette from DC. They are the only three who know.”

“And when exactly did ADAM find out you were still alive?”

She could be nothing but honest with him at this point despite what he might think. “He’s always known. I brought Tali to him right after the explosion. He made sure she got safely to you. None of this would have be possible without his help.”

He absorbed this information. He put his hands on the sides of her shoulders to keep her in front of him when he sensed she might move away. Jealousy started to course through his veins. Fucking Adam. She had been in contact with him all along.

“And did he know about Tali from the start? Did he know I had a daughter when I didn’t?” he demanded from her shaking her shoulders slightly. “No” she told him truthfully. “No he didn’t. Only Orli and Odette knew.” This Odette again. The question of who the fuck is Odette flew through his mind briefly but his preoccupation with Adam took precedence at the moment.

“What the hell is Adam to you Ziva?” He shook her again. His voice raising louder.

“He’s a friend and an ally, nothing more.”

“And you expect me to believe that after all this? That he’s nothing to you.”

“Yes, YES I do.” Her voice raised as well in response to his. She put her hand over his heart. Felt it pounding in his chest. “He is nothing compared to you Tony. Nothing I swear.” She grabbed his hand with both of hers pulling it from her shoulder to press it to her chest. “Feel THIS Tony. Feel how my heart pound when you are near. Nobody can make me feel what you do. Nobody but Tali means ANYTHING to me compared to YOU Tony. .”

She presses his hand down harder over her heart praying he could feel that she was telling the truth.

“God dammit,” he cursed. “God dammit Ziva David. You are the beginning and the end of me.” He crushed his mouth to hers. She reached her hands up grabbing his hair. Running her fingers through it as she kissing him back with everything she had left in her. 

He felt her hands in his hair, her body hard against his. He lost all control pulling her with him roughly down to the couch.


	16. Chapter 16

Holy fuck Ziva thought when it was over collapsing on top of him. Holy fuck she had she missed him. They were still on the couch but just barely. He was laying dangerously close to the edge. When her full weight hit his chest he had to shift quickly to stop them both from tumbling to the floor. 

“Easy Tiger” he commented, his voice hoarse. Then maneuvered her to the opposite side of the his chest so she could lean against the back of the couch. He didn’t open his eyes. He wasn’t sure he would be able to open them again he thought. A smile formed on his lips. He shouldn’t be smiling he thought. He should be mad. He wasn’t suppose to sleep with her yet let alone enjoy it so much. He was suppose to keep his distance until they had had deep meaningful conversations. 

“What’s so funny?” She commented as she lifted one eye open to assess the damage and saw the smile on his face. “We should not be having sex yet Ziva. This was a terrible idea. We haven’t resolved anything...but god that felt good,” he told her the thoughts in his head just spilling right out his mouth. He actually started to laugh as he heard his words with his ears and the absolute absurdity of their situation became more apparent.

Shocked at his honest confession she wasn’t sure at first how to respond. When she heard him start to laugh she started too. He was right. Having sex already was a terrible idea. They should not have done it. They both knew it. This was crazy!! “Why?” She said her laughter getting stronger. “Because I am technically legally dead or...” laughter... “or because I had your baby and never told you?” That sent him over the edge and he laughed so hard he almost rocked her off the couch again. 

He reached down his hands to hold on to her waist so he could steady her. He could feel her body shaking just as hard as his. “Or...” he tried to start to say then couldn’t quite get out the words. He sat up pulling her with him as he tried to regain control. “Or because I am an unemployed single dad..”he tried again, stopping once to try and get some air. “Who is traipsing a toddler around Paris and Cairo...” laughter... “while someone who tried to kill you may still be out there...”more laughter... “and now may want us all dead,” he finished reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes. 

“Yep” she agreed her arms reaching around her waist as if it would stop the pain starting in her sides. “Those are all...” she had to restart three times to get the sentence out. “Those all great reasons why we should not have done this.”

“Oh god Ziva,” He said drawing the words out slowly as his laughter started to subside. He pulled her into his arms like a hug. Rested his chin on the top of her head. Her body still was shaking but started to relax as well. “This is so messed up.”

“I know...”. She took two deep breathes and by then they had both stopped laughing but continued to sit together and just listen to the other breath. “I will tell you everything. I will.” She offered finally breaking the silence.

“When?”

“When you ask me to.” She told him taking the cowards way out. Putting the ball in his court.

He debated getting it over with and doing it right then. He opened his mouth but then closed it. She felt so warm in his arms, her hair rubbed up against his face as he pulled her in tighter. He felt her tense in anticipation waiting for him to speak. 

She felt his mouth open and then close. Minutes passed and still he didn’t say anything but also did not let her go.

“Mistakes are best made in pairs you know Ziva.” She closed her eyes knowing the reprieve was only temporary and that she only had over a day left. 

“How long does she usually sleep?”

He leaned over her head to look at his watch. 

“We have at least an hour...”


	17. Chapter 17

She always forgot how fast he could move when he wanted to because before she what was happening he had her up in his arms and deposited her on the bed in the second room. Their first time had been frantic and rough, almost out of control. This time though he moved slowly and took his time.

With everyone else he was always considered a good lover, maybe even great. He was very thoughtful and considerate. He was gentle when it was necessary, not so gentle when it was not. He had moves he practiced often to great effect but at the end of the day with anyone else it was always his satisfaction that mattered. That he got what he needed. What he wanted.

With Ziva it was so very different. With Ziva his pleasure came solely from hers. The flutter of her eyes as his thumb grazed her skin. The way she lifted her hips when his tongue hit just the right spot. The sound she made in the back of her throat when she was finally done. He knew every movement she would make by heart and they all drove him mad. He laid her on the bed and started by kissing her lips.

She should move she thought after a while. She wanted to move. To feel his ass with her hands (it was a good ass). To kiss his chest with her lips. But her body did not seem to listen as he continued his assault. His hands were so soft. His breath was so warm. She wasn’t being fair though she really should move she thought again. Then his mouth moved down past her hips and it did not matter because she could not think at all.


	18. Chapter 18

“Abba, Abba” Tali yelled out when she woke up a while later still not used to her mother being back. Ziva went into the bedroom to get her and brought her back out to the kitchen. Tony had ran downstairs to the lobby to get Ziva some new clothes since the ones she had needed a new wash and she could not really borrow his if they wanted to go out to get some food. 

She told him a bit more about the last six months before he left. How she had been staying on other side of town. It was better that he didn’t know too much though so she didn’t get into specifics. 

“So with all the resources of Mossad they cannot find out who really ordered the hit?” He asked with mild disbelief.

“No, Orli has kept the circle really tight so that no ones knows I am still alive. That is why I couldn’t tell you Tony. If you didn’t think I was dead, why would anyone else.”

“What about Gibbs. You said the plan was for him to find you? I have spoken with him a few times Ziva and it does not seem like he thinks you are still alive.”

He saw the disappointment flash across her face at the mention of Gibbs. She paced for a minute and then went and sat at the small table in the kitchen. “I know. He must have bought Orli’s story hook line and sinker. This should have been over by now. He should have came.” She paused for a minute playing with the ends of the place mat that was on the table avoiding his gaze. She knew she should not be embarrassed that Gibbs had not moved heaven and earth to find her but in her heart she had to admit it hurt worse that she expected. She had called her his kid and yet now when she really needed him he wasn’t here.

“Adam had just told me last night that he wasn’t coming.” She was hesitant to bring up Adam again given Tony’s reaction earlier but she didn’t want to keep anything else from him. “That’s why I went to the opera house. I was upset and for some reason I got it in my head that I just needed to get there. Now I guess I know why.” She said smiling up at him but her eyes were still sad. 

It’s not over he thought. She will still need to stay dead to find out who had tried to kill her. She could not do that if she stayed with him and Tali. And it was no life for Tali if they all tried to stay undercover. She had not said so so far but he knew it as plain as he knew his own name. He had seen her check her watch twice in the half an hour since they had gotten out of the bedroom. Like she was on a count down.

As he went down the elevator to the lobby he tried to process the fact that she would be gone again soon. He knew that her family and her life had always been complicated but the last three years had been nothing he could have seen coming. This is what you get for falling for a Mossad assassin he thought to himself with a chuckle. Imagine how boring life would likely have been if he had married plain, sweet Wendy. 

For Tali alone he would never regret his decisions. He may not have been there for the first parts of her life but he would be there for every minute from now on he vowed. And once this was over so would Ziva. He believed her when she had told him that he was the only man who really meant anything to her in that way. For her to go around Orli to lead him to Paris. And her joy last night at seeing him and her daughter together. She was a good liar when she had to be but he knew in his heart she was not that good.

He did still need to know why she had never told him about Tali. If it was because of him and his cavalier attitude towards family and kids, like Orli had implied. He would ask her tomorrow he vowed. The day had been stressful enough with her panic attack and his jealous outburst about Adam that he figured they should end on a high note. He finished picking out some items for Ziva in the gift shop and started to plan their night in his head. They would take Tali for supper somewhere nearby, then watch a movie in the room. It was Thursday so that meant a bath before Tali went to bed. 

As he planned it he realized it sounded like a night the old him would have said was BORING (well not the movie part) and no fun at all. He got off the elevator headed towards the room. How silly he had been he thought, so immature. When he opened the door they were both in the kitchen. Ziva had Tali up on the counter giving her a glass of water to drink. She looked over at him as he entered, alarmed at first and then with happiness at seeing it was him. Yep the old him was stupid he though. The new him would take this type of boring any day of the week.


	19. Chapter 19

They decided he would grab supper from a food cart and just eat on a bench in the park. Ziva had pulled her hair back and had her head covered but they still decided not to take too many risks. When they were done Tali was sitting in between them on the bench and decided she wanted to throw her left over food to the birds. “You should probably get a bit closer.” Tony told her when she just wound up throwing it on his shoes. 

She went to jump off the bench and lost her balance. They both reached at the same time but neither was able to fully catch her before she fell down and landed on her knees, one harder than the other. She started to wail. Tony had a better angle to her and pulled her up into his arms. Ziva wanted to take her from him and reached out to try but he narrowed his eyes at her and whispered “it’s fine I got this, it’s just a small scape.” 

“Hey princess you are okay. It’s fine.” He repeated this time to Tali who based on her tears and the increase to the decibel level of her crying did not in fact think she was fine. Her knee hurt. He set her back down on the bench to assess the damage. “This knee looks okay.” He determined lightly touching one and seeing that the other was more scrapped and had some blood already appearing. 

He indicated for Ziva hold Tali’s shoulders while he knelt on the ground and reached into his bag. “Should be able to fix this up right away.” Ziva saw him grabbing a band-aid out. She knelt down beside him still holding Tali on the bench. 

“No Tony she hates...”she started to tell him realizing that maybe he didn’t know that Tali hated band-aids. Whenever she had needed one and Ziva put one on her it just made her cry harder until either she ripped it off or Ziva gave in and removed it.

Tony must not know this she had though but she paused she he gave her a look, mouthed the word no and started to speak. 

“Tali.”he said loudly making sure he got his daughters attention. “What is Abba making?” She continued to cry as he pulled out a pair of scissors. “Princess look here what is Abba making you?” He asked her again. This time she looked up. Her tears starting to trail off. 

“A heart” 

“Yes Tali, a heart” he proceeded to cut a heart shape out of the bandaid with a flourish the held it up her her to inspect. “How does it look?”

“Good” she said cheering up a little. 

“And whose heart is it Princess?”

“Abba’s heart” Tali replied like they had done this more than a few times before. 

“And where does Abba’s heart go?”

“On Tali’s owie”

“On Tali’s owie so it feels all better right” he told her placing the band-aid over the scrape and leaning down to give it a kiss. “All better princess.” Ziva watched in amazement seeing Tali’s face. Just a second ago she had been in tears wailing and now she was smiling and running her fingers over the once hated band-aid like it was a jewel. A tear spilled from her eye. “He loves her so much. He will take care of her. She will be safe.” She felt a weight lifted off of her in that moment. 

She did not realize she said the words aloud until she turned from Tali and saw him staring at her. His face said he already knew what she had not yet told him. That she would not stay. 

“Yes she will.” He told her. She saw tears in his eyes too. “Thank you” she mouthed to him not trusting herself to try and speak. He turned back to Tali. 

“Well Princess should we go find those birds, if we didn’t scare them all off.” 

Tali looked at him questioningly as if something had just occurred to her, pointed to herself and asked. “Tali princess. Ima princess too?” Tony laughed at her question wondering for the hundredths time how the mind of a three year old worked.

“No Tali Ima’s not a princess.” 

“HEY” Ziva said reaching up her arm to lightly slap his shoulder feeling she should be offended. He brushed Ziva arm off him and leaned in closer to his daughter. He looked her straight in the eye. 

“Ima’s not a princess.” He said again for effect. “She’s a...ninja” 

“Ningwa?” Tali said clearly confused. 

“Yes a ninja..But...just like Tali’s MY princess,” he paused turning away from Tali to meet Ziva’s eyes “she’s MY ninja.” 

And then he leaned over and kissed his ninja right on the mouth.


	20. Chapter 20

Tony decided to call Sr while Ziva ran Tali a bath. He hadn’t checked in for a few days and didn’t want him to worry. 

“How is he?” Ziva asked as he finished the call and joined them in the bathroom. Ziva had sat on the floor beside the tub watching while Tali played with her toys. “He’s okay. You know Sr. Always up to something...” he told her sitting on the floor next to the wall across from her. “Seriously though. While he was a shitty father he is an amazing grandfather. Go figure. Not sure what I would have done without him those first few days.” He was surprised how easy it came out. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to talk about it with her but it seemed natural so he continued. 

“I was a mess. Let’s be honest.” She watched his face not saying anything. She had seen the photos of him and knew it to be true. “Jimmy was a big help. Who knew that autopsy gremlin and my father would become the most important people in my life for a while.”

“You took her to the park. You put her in the stroller and took her to the park.” Ziva told him remembering the pictures Adam had shown her then destroyed. 

He was surprised at her words. How did she know? He remembered the day. It was cold and Palmer had lent him the stroller. He had no idea what to dress her in. Would she be too hot or too cold? She had cried for a while and then finally fell asleep when he just walked in circles for an hour. McGee and joined him then. 

“Orli?” He questioned. She shook her head no. “Ah Adam.” He correct. He let that sink in and realized the jealous had passed. He wasn’t even mad. He leaned his head back against the wall and looked up to the ceiling when she started to speak.

“It was just after supper. It was Tuesday and I was going to put on the kettle for tea when my water broke.” She started. “I thought the kettle had a leak at first. Then I knew.” Tali threw one of her toys out of the water and Ziva paused while she leaned over to pick up up. 

“I was scared. I had a midwife who lived a town over and I called her as right away. She took about 25 minutes to get to the house. She almost didn’t make it in time. The pain came on real fast once my water broke. It was like once she decided to come there was no waiting. She was ready.” 

“Why am I not surprised, always in a rush just like her mother.” Tony said with a chuckle thinking about how Ziva drove like a crazy mad woman. Images of teaching Tali to drive at sixteen popped in his head. Thank god he had years to prepare he thought. He reached his hand over and linked it with Ziva’s on the floor waiting for her to continue. 

“I had no idea if it would be a boy or a girl. All I had in my head was that stupid picture McGee had put up on the screen. Remember that?” She looked over at him. “That square headed baby from the software that merged our faces from the photos.” 

She scrunched her face in mock horror at the memory and Tony did too. 

“Oh god. She didn’t look like that did she?” The image was fuzzy in his mind but clear enough to cause him concern at the possibility.

She shook her head and ran her hand over her daughters head. “No. She was beautiful. She was small. Just over 6 lbs. She had your eyes even then.” 

She stopped. Unable to say anymore and Tali was starting to prune. She let go of his hand and quickly washed Tali’s hair and pulled her out of the tub. She handed her to Tony “Time for stories and to go bed,” she told her. Tony looked questioning at her thinking she would want to do it. 

“No it’s better this way. Let’s not break her routine.” She responded to his unasked question. As much as it hurt she knew it would be easier on Tali when she was gone if things stayed as normal as possible now. It would already be hard enough when she left. 

So she stayed in the kitchen while Tony put Tali to sleep. She heard her cry out for her once before going under. “Ima, I want Ima” But Tony stayed firm and calmed her back down. Ziva sat down at the table and cried. 

Her face was still red when he emerged from the bedroom. The tears had stopped but her heart was still broken knowing what was coming. He wished he could fix it. Find a way to make it work so she could stay. But he knew it was hopeless. Someone had to protect Tali and he would not let it be anyone but him. So he did the only thing he could do at the moment to make her forget. He went over to the table and reached out his hand. She stared at it blankly for a minute, wiped the tears from her cheeks. Then she reached up her hand and put it in his. And he led her to bed.


	21. Chapter 21

The next day went by way too fast for either of their liking. Ziva tried to slow it down in her mind. To make it last forever, but time was one enemy she could not beat. They went for a walk in the morning. Tali held each of their hands and swung like a monkey between them. She yelled “again, again” until both of their shoulders were sore. 

They played hide and go seek in the hotel room. Tony outlasting them both by hiding behind the bathroom door close to the wall and neither of them thought to check there. When Tali did finally nap they made love. This time Ziva made sure she was fair. 

They ended the day with the Opera for real this time. It only seemed fitting. Tali still slept as Ziva tried to explained it to him. She had seen it with her sister a few times in fact. He pretended to listen, nod at the appropriate times but did not hear a word. He just saw her face, her lips moving. She would smile at a favorite part, occasionally she close her eyes and just listened. He burned it into his brain. 

When they got back Ziva told Tony she should change Tali into her jammies before he put her to bed. She laid her daughter on the after she was done.

“Tali see Imas necklace?” She asked her holding it in her hand. Tali nodded yes reaching her hand up and touched the pendant with her fingers. 

“This means your always with me. Wherever I am.” 

Tali just looked up at her not quite understanding what her mother was trying to say. A tear fell from Ziva’s eyes onto the bed.

“And Tali has Ima’s necklace.” 

She held up the Star of David on Tali’s necklace that used to be hers. 

“That means Ima is always with you no matter where you are.” 

Her tears fell harder now. She picked her up and hugged her too her chest. 

“I love you so much.” 

She heard Tony beside her. She squeezed Tali tight one more time then handed her to him. Not knowing if or when she would ever hug her again.

When Tony came back out she was sitting on the couch. Her eyes swollen red. Her hand at her neck still rubbing the necklace at her throat.

He sat down beside her. Laced his fingers into hers. 

“She looks so much like you.” 

She smiled. 

“Yeah but the eyes are still all you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He started then paused. “Orli said you did not want to disturb my life any further than you already had. Is that what you thought? That she would have been a disturbance to my life?”

“Orli is Mossad Tony, through and through.” 

“What does that mean?”

“It means that nothing that comes out of her mouth is ever really the truth.” 

She had practiced answering this question a thousand times in her head over the past three years but out loud was different. Now that it was finally happening she still did not know if she could make him understand her why she did what she did. But she would try.

“Because I couldn’t live without you.” She said quietly and he had to strain to hear her. She kept her hand in his and led him into the bedroom and onto the bed. She sat in the middle and motioned for him to sit across from her in the center. She crossed her legs and took a deep breath then repeated herself. “Because I couldn’t live without you and I needed to make sure that I could.” He heard her words but could not understand. He had said those words before too. When her found her in Somalia and was under truth serum. 

“I had said those words in my head. I even put them down on paper. And yes they sound nice and romantic but Tony, they were true. And I realized...even before I knew I was pregnant with Tali, that they couldn’t be. I could never do to our children what your Mother did to you. I had to know that even if something happened to you Tony, that I could survive by myself.” 

“What are you talking about?” He asked closing his eyes and shaking his head her words not making any sense.

“When I made you leave Israel I knew what happened to your Mother Tony.” He remember then what he had told her back in Israel before she made him leave. He had told her what he he had never told anyone. That his mother had taken her own life when he was young.

“She couldn’t live without your father Tony and when he was always gone ...she chose not to. When I figured out I was pregnant I wasn’t sure what to do. I almost called you, several times in fact. But then I always stopped. We had never talked about kids. I didn’t know if you wanted them and I was scared that if you did come and it didn’t work what would happen. 

“I don't expect you understand. And I don’t expect you to ever forgive me. I can never give you back what I took. Her first word, her first steps. I wish that I had of been stronger, that it took less time for me to figure things out. But I don’t regret what I did Tony. I am her mother and no matter what happens to me or to you now that will always come first.”

He knew when he asked the question that he d have to accept that he might not like the answer. That it might drive them apart. He wasn’t sure what would have happened if she had told him at the time. He knew that he loved her and that she loved him when he had left Israel but he also knew that life wasn’t a fairy tale. 

Her entire family was dead. She had needed to kill her brother herself. Shot him in the head. Her sister was killed by a suicide bomber before she was even an adult. Her father was shot and killed in front of her face. She was Mossad for Christ sake. The cards she had both been dealt had more than fucked with her head so whose to say would have happened if she had called. 

He thought of all the things he had missed with his mother. All the things he never got to share with her after she left. She would never meet her granddaughter. Whether the two and a half years he missed with Tali, that Tali missed with him, was worth knowing that his daughter would always have her mother no matter what happened to him he had yet to decide.

He wished she would stay now so they could find out but he knew that that would not be the case. As much as he wanted to try to convince her that they would be able to keep Tali safe the reality was that someone HAD tried to kill her and they did not yet know who that was. 

She watched as he processed what she had said. For the first time in a long time she had no idea what was going through his head. When he didn’t say anything she knew that she would not get his forgiveness but that was okay. She had prepared herself for that. She wished she could stay now and not risk Tali or his life by not figuring who wanted her or possibly them dead. The last few days had been the best in her life. She knew once she left the panic would come when it chose, sleep would again become an enemy. She would take the pills when she could. And fight through it when she could not because she also knew that nothing and no one would keep her from the life she would have with Tali and Tony once this was over.

“Don’t tell me you’re leaving,” was all he finally said, both of them knowing that she was. She had too. So she didn’t tell him. She leaned over and kiss him instead. His cheek first then his mouth. She unbuttoned his shirts and pushed him back in the bed. She kept her eyes open and locked them with his. They made love slowly neither of them saying a word. When after he fell asleep she carefully lifted his arm off of her and crept from the bed so as not to wake him.

He heard her stop in the bedroom were Tali was sleeping. She leaned down and gave her daughter a kiss. “I love you.” She said. “I will be back. Abba will take such good care of you.” She stopped back at the door to their room. Stood still for a minute, listened to his breaths. He debated saying I love you to make sure she knew before she left but the words didn’t seem right. They were not the ones she needed to hear. “I forgive you” he said instead, still feigning sleep. And he did he realized as he said them aloud.

Her words from before, which had ricocheted round in his head like bullets shot into a barrel, had finally settled down. He may not fully understand everything but from now on he knew would always be Tali’s father. He trusted Ziva enough to know that she had done what she though was best for their daughter in her heart regardless of what it cost her and him. He knew now that he would do the same. That was enough for him. Her breath caught in her throat when she heard his words, a gift she had never expected. “I love you Anthony Dinozzo Jr.” she said in return and then she was gone.


	22. Chapter 22

Jan 2020

He dropped the dish he was drying when the phone buzzed in his pocket. The plate smashed into pieces on the floor but he didn’t care or even look down. He pulled it out from his pocket. His hand had started to shake he noted. He flipped it over quickly to see the caller id. Only one person had this number. Ziva. 

The phone hadn’t rung in a while. She (or Adam he was never really sure) had left it in the hotel room in Cairo for him over three years ago. He found it the next day in the pocket of a pair of jeans. It had one contact. Your Ninja. It had never left his side since. It stayed always in his pocket, he took it in the shower, he learned to sleep with it in his hand just in case. 

She had called or texted five times total. When Gibbs and McGee had been captured in Paraguay, when she had finally found out that it was a woman named Sahar that had wanted her dead and on each of Tali’s birthdays because she could not help herself. He never gave their daughter the messages but at least he knew that she was still out there and that she was okay.

“Ziva” he answered.

“I thought she was dead but she’s not. She may know about Tali. You need to take her some place safe now.

“Ziva enough already. Where are you. This needs to end.” If he had known when she left them in Cairo how long this would take he never would have let her go. He would have handcuffed her too him if that was what it took. They would have done something different. But once she was gone he could never get her back. The phone was all he had and as much as he wanted to phone McGee and have him track the incoming calls and texts a part of him was too scared that if did he would never see her again. 

“Tony there is no time for this. Pack a bag and go with Tali now. Contact me when you are safe at this number. Tell me you will.”

He debated saying no. Telling her that it ended now. He weighted his options for a few seconds and then knew he had no choice. 

“Okay. We will leave today. Right after I pick Tali up from school.”

“No go now. Just pick her up and leave. Please.”

“Fine.” He waited a minute. 

“Tony?” She said knowing she should hang up and keep the call short to avoid being traced but wanted to hear his voice one more time.

“Still here”

“I love you” she said. He disconnected the call. 

Ziva stared at the phone in her hand not knowing what to think. She knew that it had been years longer than she had anticipated to find Sahar. Tali was five for christ sakes. She had missed over three years of her daughters life. Although she always tried to remember that Tony had missed just as much time as well. That though through no fault of his own, just her decision not to tell him about Tali.

He had told her he forgave her in Cairo, but that was so long ago now. She had no idea what him hanging up meant. If he didn’t love her anymore, if the call was disconnect or if he just didn’t want to talk over a encrypted burn phone anymore. She was scared for her life again now that she knew Sahar was still alive. But that paled in comparison to her fear for Tali and for Tony lives. In the back of her mind she was also scared to find out what would happen if this finally ever really ended. If being a family was really in the cards for them. She knew that Tony would never keep her from Tali but beyond that she had stopped believing in happy endings long ago. 

She put the phone back behind the cabinet in her office and returned to combing through all the intel she had.

Half a world away Tony in Paris Tony snapped the phone closed. Her heard her say I love you but could not say them back. He was done with it all. The next time he told her her loved her it was going to be in person and it was going to be for keeps.

He picked up his other phone and dialed. His call was answered on the second ring.

“She there?” Tony asked.

“She’s here. I just left her.”

“I’m done with this. It ends now.”

“Agreed, I will do what I can here to keep her safe.” 

“We are on the next flight to DC.”

“Copy that.” 

Gibbs hung up the phone.


	23. Chapter 23

Tony packed their bags and picked Tali up from school. 

“We are going to The States to see gramps” he told her. He had her stand in front of her school and wave so he could take a picture before they left. To let him know we are coming he explained.

Back in DC they finally found Phineas and he was safe. The team along with Ziva and Jack had gathered in the squad room.

“It’s over.” Ziva said still shellshocked. She had stayed to help find him despite Gibbs trying to get her to go to the airport and leave initially. Then after he realized she would not he kept her pretty close.

“It’s over Ziver.” Gibbs repeated. Still reeling himself from everything had had happened but happy that she was finally going to get her family back. He had planned to have Tony meet her at the airport but he could not seem to get her to go. He looked at his phone as a text came in and saw it was from Dinozzo. That they had gotten to DC safe and were headed up shortly. He had texted Tony when they had found Phineas to let him know that things were okay. Or as okay as they would ever be he thought.

Ziva took out her phone and looked again at the picture of Tali that Tony had texted her when she told him Sahar was dead for real this time. She felt her breath catch in her throat. Her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to be happy and ecstatic but fear overwhelmed her. What if Tali had forgotten her. Her last call with Tony had set her on edge. She looked over at Gibbs. He could see the fear in her eyes. 

“Bishop, why don’t you take Ziva to the airport. She needs to get to Paris.” Gibbs said motioning Ellie to go with her knowing that she may find another reason to avoid leaving.

“Sure boss” Bishop said looking at McGee. McGee looked up from his computer where he was suddenly typing frantically after getting a text on his phone. He threw the keys at her. “Here take the car.”

Torres put out his hand as she walked by him to leave. “Seriously Ziva it was really good to meet you...even when I let you kicked my ass.” He said hoping for a laugh. She shook it as expected but wasn’t really listening to his words as her mind was already prepping for what was coming. “You too Nicklaus” was all she said stopping and staring absentmindedly at the floor more than his face or hand.

Gibbs motioned to Bishop again to get Ziva moving.

“Ziva we should go.” Ellie told her taking her arm and leading her to the elevator. 

Jack looked over at Gibbs. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” “Save the shrink talk Jack. It’s been six years of hell for all of them. Who knows what the right thing to do is but this is as good a way to end it as any.” She couldn’t disagree with him.

Ziva almost turned around when she got to the elevator. She could not do this. Ellie sensed her resistance and kept her hand on her arm keeping her in place.

“Really Elenor it is fine. I will just catch a cab. You don’t need to come.” She said glancing at her while the elevator doors opened. Ziva’s expression changed changed to a quizzical one when she saw Ellie’s eyes open in surprise. 

“IMA” 

Ziva heard her daughter’s cry and felt her weight as she threw herself into Ziva’s legs. Her arms grabbed tightly around her waist. Over Tali’s head she saw Tony behind her still standing in the elevator. Her vision clouded. Her legs turned to jelly. She closed her eyes. Her arms slowly lowered around her daughter as the reality of what was happening hit her. They were here. She fell to her knees when they would no longer support her weight. Putting on hand on the ground momentarily to steady herself. 

“Tali” Ziva said her name in a whisper. She reacher her arm back up and hugged her so tight she worried she might hurt her for a second. She forced herself to let go and pulled herself back. “Oh my beautiful girl.” Her tear filled eyes ran over her. She looked so old. She was no longer her baby girl. 

Tali smiled at her mother. Abba had told her on the way up the elevator that her mother would be there when they go to the floor. She wasn’t sure she had felt at first it had been so long since she had seen her but when the elevator opened and she saw her the memories of Ima flooded back and she threw herself at her. 

Tony felt the tears in his eyes as well as he watched Ziva hug her daughter for the first time in years. He was not quite sure how Tali would react and was happy when he saw them hug. Gibbs has warned him that Ziva was nervous and somewhat fearful of this moment and he decided to stick to his plan. Once he knew they had found Phineas he knew what he had to do to make sure she knew everything would be okay. Yes they had stuff to work out but they would do it together.

Ziva looked up at Tony over Tali’s head. He smiled down at her stepping out of the elevator. Then her face turned to shock as she felt a handcuff slapped over her wrist. 

“What the hell??” She exclaimed trying to pull back her wrist. Tony’s arm jerked in response and she saw that she was handcuffed to his wrist. He reached down and picked Tali up with his other arm. Pulled Ziva to her feet at the same time. At five Tali was big but not too big for her father to be able to easily hoist her on his hip. He looked softly at Ziva then, his eyes still wet with tears. 

“You are never getting away from us again,” he told her. He handed Tali over to Jimmy who appeared suddenly beside them. The rest of the team was watching earnestly but stayed over by the bullpen to give them space. He saw the concern in her eyes as Tali was taken even a few feet away from her. “Don’t worry you will get her right back. But first.” He put both of his hand on her face, pulling her wrist up with his. Then he leaned down and kissed her. She was dumbstruck for a minute still too shocked to understand what was happening. He HAD handcuffed her to him.

“But,” she started pulling away. “But you hung up. When I told you I loved you. You hung up.”

He pulled her back in to him. Leaned his forehead to hers. “Yes. Yes I hung up.” He looked over at McGee. “Did you do it McGee?” 

“Done” 

She looked over and saw McGee standing by her old desk waving a piece of paper in his hand. Vance had come down and Kasie and Ducky had joined them as well. 

“Tony. Do what? What did McGee do?”

“Vance, how did it go on your end?” Tony asked ignoring her question. 

“All good here Dinozzo.” Vance said showing him another piece of paper. 

Tony knew that he was throwing a lot at her. That maybe he should have waited but he could not. He had promised himself next time her saw her she would know it was forever. 

“Ziva. I know this is a lot. I know you did not expect us to be her so just bear with me for a minute.” He ran his hands over her cheeks again and kissed her softly. “I hung up because I made a vow. A vow that the next time I told you I loved you it would be for keeps. We have lots to talk about. We will all need a lot of therapy and whatever, I get that. But right now I just want to tell you I love you. Because I love you so much and I just want you to be my wife and for us to finally be a family for real.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Not sure she heard him right. Not sure what the hell was going on. “What?” She asked. “What?” She said again sure she was dreaming. This could not be real. Five minutes ago she was fearful to get in an elevator and now Tony and Tali were here. She was handcuffed to him and he was asking her to marry him. Well he had not really asked he had more just said it was happening. She tried to process it all. 

“Ziva” he capture her eyes and did not let them go. “Ziva, I know this is crazy. But marry me and we will work it all out.” 

She looked at him. She loved him with all her heart. She had learned how to survive without him. It had cost them all more than she could ever of imagined but she had. But she did not want to. She never wanted to live without him again if she did not have to. She closed her eyes again and this time put her hands on his face. She opened her eyes looked over at her daughter who was smiling at them despite having no real idea of what was going on. She had been so worried that he would be done with her. That he would not have waited but here he was. 

“Okay.” She said quietly. Then louder, more clear. “Okay.” Then she started to think there was no way this was actually possible. “How?” She asked. “I don’t understand how I can marry you right now?” 

Vance waved his paper again. “Marriage license right here. Pulled a few strings.” He told them. 

“Just got ordained online.” McGee told them. “Tony texted me with his plan on the way up. Just took a few minutes.”

“There’s no dress.” He told her now realizing that maybe she would want to do this different. “There’s no walk down the aisle. No first dance. I don’t even have real rings. I have one.” He showed her his family rings his father had given to him. “But we will do this later right. I promise.” 

“No now. You are right.” She said laughing through her tears. “Oh god we need to do this now.” Realizing that this was exactly what they needed. 

Gibbs came over put his hand in her shoulder. “We could try a walk down the aisle so I could give you away.” He motioned over time the space between the desks In the bullpen that could serve as and aisle. “But it seems like he already has you.” He said lifting up their cuffed hands. She leaned over and hugged him pulling Tony’s arm with hers. 

She pulled away wiped the tears from her face. 

“This is fine here is fine.” 

“Well I should hope so.” came a boisterous voice. Ziva’s eyes widened again as Sr emerged from the elevator. “About time Jr.” he said slapping his son on his back. He then took his grand daughter from Palmer and stood her beside him, holding her hand. 

“McGee” Tony said looking his soon to be wife in the eye. She had not prepared for this but she was still the most beautiful bride he could imagine. 

“On it.” McGee came over and stood in front of them with a piece of paper to read from. 

“Tony do you take Ziva to be your wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”

He held her eyes in his. Held her hand in his. Held her heart in his. “I do.” He slid his ring on her finger.

“Ziva do you take Tony to be your wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”

She smiled at him. Squeezed the strong hand that held hers. “I do. Forever and Always. I do”

Everyone in the room let out a cheer. Gibbs put his arm around Jack and pulled her tight to his side. Torres looked over at Bishop. Watched the tears fall from her eyes which she could not take hers off Tony and Ziva. Kasie slapped Ducky’s back. “They really did it,” she whispered to him. “It’s about damn time.” He responded. 

Palmer weeping openly was so full of emotions he didn’t know what to do. Finally he turned and hugged Sr.

“This is just so wonderful” he said. 

“Sure kid. You gonna be alright?” Sr handed him his handkerchief to wipe the tears from his face. 

“It’s just so wonderful.” He blew his nose loudly into the borrowed item. 

“You keep that kid.” Sr told him. 

Vance just watched, silently wishing them good luck. He was thinking of Jackie. If only she could have been here to see this. She would have loved it. 

“You may kiss the Bride.” McGee finished with a flurish. 

And then Tony FINALLY kissed his bride.

THE END


End file.
